There won’t be any early reviews of Skyrim Special Edition or Dishonored 2, as Bethesda announce a restrictive new review policy.
Doom and Fallout publisher Bethesda has announced that in the future they will only be sending out early review copies of new games one day before their release.
The policy unofficially started with this year’s Doom reboot, and will continue for Skyrim Special Edition and Dishonored 2. And, it’s implied, for everything else next year and beyond.
‘While we will continue to work with media, streamers, and YouTubers to support their coverage – both before and after release – we want everyone, including those in the media, to experience our games at the same time’, reads a short message on their site.
‘We also understand that some of you want to read reviews before you make your decision, and if that’s the case we encourage you to wait for your favourite reviewers to share their thoughts’, is the only other thing it says.
Why Bethesda think it so important that everyone should experience their games at the same time is not explained. Especially when a normal review embargo, enforced by all publishers when sending out early copies, means they can dictate exactly when the review goes live.
The simple answer is that they feel there is more to lose from the possibility of a bad review then there is to gain from a good one.
That may seem odd considering that Bethesda’s output is some of the most consistently well reviewed in the industry. But now that reputation is well established they’ll no doubt be hoping that everyone will assume their games are good without waiting for prior confirmation.
But their attitude isn’t with precedent. And although it usually doesn’t last for long, most publishers have gone through a period of not sending out early review copies at some point in their history. Mafia III and Civilization VI publisher 2K are going through just such a phase at the moment, although hopefully it won’t last too long.
It looks like Bethesda’s policy will though, and it seems fair to assume that the primary thing they’re worried about is pre-orders. Where a bad review coming out a few days before release still leaves enough time to cancel your purchase. Because at the end of the day the only thing any publisher is really interested in is your money.
And while pre-orders continue to be as lucrative as they are, publishers will always be looking for a way to encourage you to buy a game without knowing what it’s like. You’ll just have to decide who you trust more: the publisher’s marketing team or your favourite reviewers and commentators.
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